Things Aren't Always What They Seem
by KageTori94
Summary: ...but what no one knew is that the Worm had fallen in love with the girl.
1. Be Careful What You Wish For

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Labyrinth-related (am I doing this right? Is there a format or something for this?)

 _Note: This is my first ever fanfic so please be nice! Goodness knows how this story idea popped into my head..._

* * *

The walls stretched on for as far as the eye could see and though Sarah had been travelling in the same direction for quite some time, she seemed to be getting nowhere. Panic began to rise in Sarah's heart as she wondered how much time she had wasted seemingly not getting anywhere at all.

She slumped to the ground, not willing to give in just yet, but too tired and frustrated to continue.

Suddenly, there was a small voice behind her.

"allo!"

Sarah turned around startled, looking for a person, or perhaps another Dwarf. It was then that she spotted what looked to be a small blue worm with a red scarf and tufts of hair sticking out awkwardly. Doing a double take, Sarah addressed the odd-looking creature.

"…did you say 'hello'?" she asked tentatively, briefly wondering if she'd gone mad already.

"No, I said 'allo'!" replied the creature, "but that's close enough" it conceded with a shake of its head.

Sarah paused and peered intently.

"You're a worm aren't you?" she asked.

"Yeah, s'right!" the worm replied. If she thought he was a regular harmless worm, then he wasn't about to correct her. This was too good an opportunity to pass up.

If only Sarah had known the reputation of the infamous Labyrinth worms, if only she had not been so trusting of appearances, perhaps she wouldn't have fallen into his trap.

Once certain that the girl did not feel threatened by him, Worm invited her inside on the pretext of meeting 'the Missus'.

"Oh!" exclaimed Sarah, "That's very kind of you and I wish I could, bu-"

Her words were cut short.

Sarah realised with horror, and altogether too late, that she had used the dreaded 'W' word. Had the Goblin King not just proved to her that words held power? That one must be careful when it comes to wishes? Sarah cursed her carelessness and stupidity, and her heart wrenched as she realised that whatever was happening would only make it that much more difficult to rescue Toby in time.

It was with this thought that Sarah the 15-year-old girl ceased to be, and with a bright flash of light, became Sarah the Labyrinth Worm.

Once the light dimmed, Sarah tried opening her eyes. As they began to focus, she realised that directly across from her perched an interesting-looking blue fellow.

"Hello?" Sarah's voice came out as a tiny high-pitched squeak. She didn't know why this should startle her, it's not as if it had changed at all in her whole life.

"allo!" replied the blue fellow, "Are you alright? You hit your head pretty badly just a moment ago…"

"Oh, is that what happened?" Sarah wondered, "I can't remember a thing…all I remember was this bright flash of light an-"

The worm cut her off mid-sentence.

"Never mind that lass! You just come inside and I'll look after you. A spot of tea perhaps."

"Thank you Mr…errr" Sarah knew her own name, but that was about it.

"Worm. But you can call me Dave."

Dave turned and wiggled his way through a hole in what looked to be a gigantic wall. Sarah didn't know where she was or what the wall was for, but figured she might as well follow and maybe she'd start to remember more about how she came to be here. There was something niggling at the back of her mind that Sarah just couldn't shake. Something important…

"Are you coming?" called Dave from inside.

Sarah shook her head free of such bothersome thoughts and followed the voice.

* * *

Jareth paced the throne room, his brow knitted in a mix of concentration and worry (not that he'd ever admit to that). Barely any time had passed since the girl began her run, but already he had a headache.

The goblins around him were causing mayhem, which is nothing out of the ordinary really, particularly when they had a new baby to play with, but this wasn't what was bothering him. It was mere moments ago when Jareth felt the magic of the Labyrinth shift, but by who's will and for what purpose he did not know. If there was one thing that Jareth hated, it was not being in control.

It was then that a particularly foolish goblin decided to let the chickens in. As the chaos mounted, Jareth became more and more irate, unnoticed by most of his subjects, until finally he snapped.

"QUIET!"

The room immediately fell silent. Even the chickens knew what a fierce temper the big one with no feathers had. Poor ugly tall thing, they thought, how unfortunate to be born without feathers, it's no wonder he's upset.

Jareth glared about his throne room and goblin and chicken alike made the surprisingly wise decision to vacate the room. Even the eldest goblins had never seen their King quite like this. Ever since he was summoned by that girl, they knew something new was happening. For the first time in a long time, the King was unpredictable, and few dared his wrath.

As the chamber emptied, Jareth exhaled a frustrated sigh, a hand running through his wild mane as he plonked down onto the throne. The only one left in the room was Toby. Goodness knows how he slept through such a racket.

Once calm again, with a graceful flick of his wrist, Jareth summoned a crystal. He wanted to know if Sarah had anything to do with the magical disturbance he had just felt.

"Show me Sarah" Jareth commanded.

The crystal orb glowed briefly and showed a scene from what Jareth recognised as the never-ending corridor near the beginning of the labyrinth. He wasn't surprised that she had found her way inside already, but what he WAS surprised about was the distinct lack of Sarah in his field of view.

Jareth was hoping against hope that whatever was going on didn't involve the girl, but deep down he knew that the only one in the Labyrinth with any power, apart from himself of course, was Sarah. Certainly not for the first time today, Jareth cursed his foolishness for gifting her the small amount of magic that he did. He had assumed she would wish for small and frivolous things like shoes, or other such meaningless items, of which she would seemingly miraculously come into possession. He had NOT imagined that instead she would end up in his Labyrinth turning his world upside-down! _'What's done is done'_ thought Jareth ruefully, not completely unaware of the irony.

"Curse that girl. What has she done now? Why must she defy me at every turn!"

Toby stirred then and Jareth lowered his voice lest he have one more problem on his hands. Thankfully the baby slept on.

"Did I not warn her that words held power?" Jareth muttered angrily. It was far easier for him to be irritated than to admit to any feelings of concern for Sarah's well-being that may or may not be arising. Whilst certainly challenging, and occasionally alarming, Jareth had long since vowed that no serious harm would befall a Runner in the Labyrinth while he reigned as King.

It was with this thought in mind that Jareth sprang into action. Moments later, not a sound was heard as the beautiful but deadly barn owl swooped out of the castle window and up over the Labyrinth.

To any outsider, it would appear as though the King was very angry with the new Runner. While this was certainly true, there was something more to it than that. What nobody knew was that the King had fallen in love with the girl…


	2. Spot of Tea

What nobody knew was that the worm had fallen in love with the girl…

Dave admired her silently as Sarah wormed her way about his small but cosy home. Her creamy skin tone, the way her dark hair stuck out at beautiful angles… When he first saw her as a human she wasn't much to look at, but he just knew she'd make a fine worm, and wife if he had his way.

"Oh dear," Dave said suddenly "where are my manners. Wouldya like some tea?" He motioned for her to approach what might have been a dining table.

Sarah briefly wondered how worms are able to do anything at all given their appendages, or rather lack thereof. She was amazed to see that the tea pot and cups seemed to move of their own accord!

"How on earth did you do that!" exclaimed Sarah in wide-eyed wonderment. She supposed she ought to have known about worm abilities, being one herself, however for some reason she found it astonishing.

"Magic my dear" replied Dave nonchalantly "I am, after all, the Master of the Labyrinth."

Something flickered in the back of Sarah's mind, but holding onto the thought was about as easy as trying to hold on to moonlight.

Seeing the faraway look in Sarah's eyes, Dave immediately changed the subject.

"Try some tea, it will make you feel better!" He nudged a teacup towards her.

Sarah bent down to drink from the cup, but not two sips in, the world began to spin and her eyes drooped.

"Oh…I feel…strange…I'm sorry Mr Worm but…I think…I need to…lie…"

Sarah fell back on the floor unconscious.

Dave chuckled gleefully as his plan continued without fault.

* * *

Sarah opened her eyes.

The last thing she remembered was walking down an endless corridor. Or was it drinking tea? Her head hurt too much to think about it so she decided it must have been some weird dream.

As her eyes cleared and Sarah became aware of her surroundings, she suddenly realised that she was in some kind of a ballroom. All around her couples danced and laughed, each with grotesque masks on their face. The women in particular were so beautiful. Their gowns made of the finest materials, their hair tufts decorated with glitter that sparkled as they wormed around their partners.

Sarah looked down and saw her own outfit, a glittering silver white gown fit for a princess. She gazed in wonder and nervousness at the scene around her. Just then she caught a flash of blue amongst the crowd. She didn't know who she was looking for or why, but somehow she felt that she must find the one in blue.

Dave watched out of sight as his wife-to-be looked around the ballroom. He could tell she was searching for him, though only he knew that. The plan was progressing perfectly. This time tomorrow he may well find himself a happily married worm!

* * *

Jareth had already circled his Labyrinth twice and seen no sign of Sarah. Fighting the urge to panic, he headed back to the place the crystal had shown him, hoping to gain some clue as to her whereabouts.

Spotting the location from above, Jareth dove towards the ground with a frightening speed, only to transform at the last second and land gracefully upon his feet. He couldn't deny that his owl form had its uses.

Though he was none the wiser about Sarah's location, he could feel the strong pull of magic here. Something had happened. But what? Jareth created another crystal. This time he poured a great deal more magic into it and demanded it show him what had happened here earlier.

As the crystal gleamed into life, snatches of conversation became audible.

"You're a worm aren't you?" Jareth recognised Sarah's voice.

The scene appeared and his suspicions were confirmed as he saw Sarah talking to what appeared to be a Labyrinth Worm. He frowned at that. Clearly she was unaware of their nefarious natures. Whilst seemingly innocuous on the surface, they can cause a lot of trouble given the chance…that's why he'd banished them to the furthest wall of the Labyrinth.

Putting two and two together, Jareth suddenly realised that the worm must have done something to his Sarah! That worm will PAY for what he's done. Whatever it is, his punishment will be one hundred fold! He'll never-

Jareth stopped his mental rant as he heard the words.

"I wish…"

He glanced back down at the crystal and after a brief flash of light, Sarah was gone, and instead the worm had a companion on the wall ledge. He knew what had happened. He paused.

It was then that a most momentous event occurred. There was a sound, quite unlike anything the Labyrinth and its dwellers had ever heard before, or would again. It sounded like a cross between an elephant and a warthog. A sort of wheezing, snorting sound.

To the stray faerie that was nearby ruining the plants again, it looked as though the King was doubled over in pain, his face scrunched tight as he made the most horrifying sounds. Perhaps he was dying, the faerie didn't know, but whatever the case it was clearly a portent of doom. It hurriedly flew away to warn others not to approach the area. If it was dangerous for the mighty Goblin King, it was surely more than any other could handle.

All self-control out the window, Jareth struggled to breathe.

"She…!" (wheeeeeze) "…and then!" (snort wheeze) "WORM!" he laughed uncontrollably as he'd never done before. Oh he was going to enjoy this.

After a few minutes he calmed down and, now knowing to search for Worm Sarah (he couldn't help but snicker at the thought), Jareth summoned a new crystal to see what she was up to right now. He couldn't imagine a worm's life is very interesting. Probably just sitting in a dank hole somewhere.

Oh how wrong he was.

A brave faerie that had heard the dire warning decided to see what all the fuss was about. Surely it couldn't be all that bad. She neared the area and suddenly froze. There was the Goblin King himself, Master of the Labyrinth, crumpled on the ground in tremendous pain! The faerie had never heard such sounds from a creature before. He surely must be dying.


End file.
